You’ve probably read it in the news: as part of the ongoing initiative to make Ubuntu a target for app developers, we proudly announced the Ubuntu App Showdown contest last week.

The way it works is simple and the rules are well documented, so I won’t go into the details: in short, you’ve got 3 weeks to create a new app, submit it to MyApps and you can win awesome prizes, including 2 laptops from system76 and a many many Nokia N9 smartphones from the Qt project. So if you’ve always wanted to start application development in Ubuntu, that’s a unique opportunity!

So here’s a reminder that the Ubuntu App Showdown is officially starting today, and you’ve got until the 9th July 2012 to create and submit a cool app according to the rules.

Starting also today, we’ve got a series of app developer workshops to help you get started with writing your app. Coming up:

Monday 18th June

Some other important points:

• You’ll find all the info about the contest on the Ubuntu App Showdown page
• You’ve got a question about programming or about the contest? Ask your question on askubuntu.
• You’ve got an idea for an app you’d like to share? Submit it to the UbuntuAppShowdown reddit
• You’d like to promote your app and let the judges see the progress? Write a blog post and submit it to the UbuntuAppShowdown reddit

I’m personally very excited about the contest. It’s been great to see lots of questions and positive reactions over the weekend and I’m really looking forward to see lots of awesome apps coming into the Ubuntu Software Centre!

The post The Ubuntu App Showdown is starting today! appeared first on David Planella.

Just a heads up that in about 15 minutes, and as part of the Ubuntu Open Week, I’ll be talking about how to submit apps to the Software Centre.

So if you’re either interested in learning how to do it, or if you want to ask any questions, join me on IRC in the #ubuntu-classroom channel on Freenode.

See you there!

The post Upcoming Ubuntu Open Week session – submitting your apps to the Software Centre appeared first on David Planella.

After reading the Ubuntu App Showdown subreddit, getting a few pings on G+ and IRC, it seems there are some showdown participants concerned about whether their app made it on time for the contest.

So here’s a quick heads up: don’t worry, if your app was submitted to MyApps on time, and complied with the contest requirements, it made it to the contest. If some of the requirements were not met, we’ve probably contacted you and given you a chance to meet them, as we appreciate the hard work you’ve put these last 3 weeks, and we want you to get in.

Some of you have noticed there is a Trello board the Ubuntu App Review Board and their contributors have been using to track progress on app reviews. Some of the apps are still not in there simply because of the overwhelmingly positive response and the work it takes to process the about 150 contest submissions we got. About 90% of them are valid, and while it might take us a bit more than expected to process them, it is a very pleasant problem to have, to be honest :).

We’re currently finishing off the list of qualified apps and setting up the voting infrastructure, so we’ll publish the list of apps on the Ubuntu App Developer blog very soon.

In any case, good work to all of you who’ve participated. You’ve made it. In only 3 weeks you’ve gone from idea to a finished app using the Free Software tools Ubuntu puts on your hands. It is amazing, and even more for those of you who were new to app development in Ubuntu. I hope you’ve had fun and learnt a lot. Good luck with your apps during the jury vote!

Looking forward to start voting on all your awesome apps!

Image Don’t Panic Badge Some rights reserved by Jim Linwood

The post Heads up to all Ubuntu App Showdown participants appeared first on David Planella.

One of the main objectives for the Ubuntu 12.04 cycle is to build upon the foundations set by the Ubuntu App Developer site, My Apps and the Ubuntu Software Centre and start building an Ubuntu App Developer community to realize the vision of a rich ecosystem of apps around Ubuntu. This is the first of a series of posts that will discuss several aspects of this goal, how to get involved, and the benefits of Ubuntu as a target platform for both developers and users.

An important aspect of each community is to ensure that there are easily accessible resources that can act as a venue for communication for anyone wanting to get involved. For the Ubuntu App Developer community, but also in general, the degree of involvement will then vary according to what the individuals connecting to our app developer story are looking for. Some will be seeking help, some will be able to provide help, some will want to contribute to build the developer story, some will want to stay up to date with the news, some will write applications… The first step is to ensure that we cover the main venues, or connecting points to our story for them.

We already started out creating some of these resources ready for the launch of the Ubuntu App Developer last cycle, but we’ve been adding some more recently and I thought at this point it would be a good opportunity to provide an overview of the variety of ways to get involved and stay up to date with App Development in Ubuntu. So without further ado…

Stay up to date

This is a set of channels to follow and share the news and announcements related to Ubuntu App Development.

The Ubuntu App Developer Blog – the official source for news, updates, new tutorials and other application development content in Ubuntu. You can read it and subscribe to it

Ubuntu App Developers on G+ – the Google+ page to for anyone interested in app development in Ubuntu to read and share updates. You can add it to your circles or +1 it

Ubuntu App Developers on Facebook – the Facebook page, also for enthusiasts of app development in Ubuntu to follow and comment on the latest news. You can like it.

Ubuntu App Developers on LinkedIn – the LinkedIn group for professionals wanting to know more about publishing their apps in the Software Centre. You can join it.

Ubuntu App Developers on Twitter – you prefer 140 character updates? @ubuntuappdev is also tweeting away in the microblogs world, spreading the news on Ubuntu App Development. You can follow it.

Ubuntu App Developers on Identi.ca – if your microblogging choice is the open source alternative to Twitter, Ubuntu app developers are also on identi.ca. You can follow it.

Get (or give) support

This is a set of channels to either get help, give help, or actively contribute to discussions related to Ubuntu App Development.

Ubuntu App Development on Askubuntu – the central place to get and provide support for all your app development questions. You can ask questions, answer questions, read the FAQ and subscribe to the questions feed.

Ubuntu App Development Mailing list – the list is also the place for support, but also for discussion of new topics, coordination of work and announcements related to building the Ubuntu App Developer story. You can subscribe to it or send e-mail.

Ubuntu App Development on IRC – for those seeking real-time support on text or simply a friendly chat amongst app developers. You can enter the IRC channel.

Contribute

This is an overview of some of the ways in which to contribute to the Ubuntu App Developer story.

Create an app – the most obvious way to make an impact is to actually create an app to be distributed to millions in the Software Centre. You can learn how to get started, how to publish, and actually publish your application. Also check out the video tutorial in how to get started in app development on Ubuntu in a matter of minutes.

Submit a tutorial – knowledge sharing is a key contribution to app development in Ubuntu. If you know about  an app development topic you’d like to see featured and shared in the Ubuntu App developer site, you can submit a tutorial.

Join the ARB – our vision is that both open source and commercial applications are the key to a successful app ecosystem in Ubuntu. The Application Review Board are a group of individuals committed to reviewing and helping open source apps thrive in this environment. If you have technical skills and want to contribute to this goal, they need your help.

All in all, this now gives no excuse not to know what’s going on in the app development world and to get involved. Now let’s get to work to have a stunning App Developer story!

 Social Media Icons by Paul Robert Lloyd

UDS is here again. Tomorrow another week packed with content that will define the plans for a new Ubuntu LTS release will start, and this time around application development will be a prominent topic.

So for all of you interested in helping and being part of the effort of making Ubuntu a platform of choice for application developers, here’s a quick list with an overview of the sessions we’ve got in store this week.

Remember you can register your interest in sessions you want to attend or keep up to date with by using the Subscribe link on each session’s blueprint. The links in the list below will take you to the blueprints used to define the specifications for each feature or goal. You can also check out the full UDS schedule.

So, without further ado, here’s the list of app development sessions:

• Software Center roadmap – the feature planning for Software Center in the upcoming release
• App developer community growth – laying out the foundations to build and grow the Ubuntu app developer community
• App developer resources section update – the plans to update the Information Architecture on the resources section of the app developer site
• App developer support community growth – defining the roadmap for a community to share knowledge and provide support between app developers
• App developer tutorial growth – an initiative to create a rich set of development tutorials on the app developer site
• App Review Board update and planning – the App Review Board roadmap for 12.04
• Quickly 12.04 Enhancements – the plans to make Quickly better and keep pace with the platform
• Qt panel – a Q+A and all-round discussion session about the Qt roadmap and other topics
• Qt integration – a session on how to integrate Qt to Ubuntu development tools and APIs
• QtQuick workshop for designers – a showcase of the tools QtQuick makes available to designers to integrate their output in the development workflow

Oh, and don’t miss the Application development and the Qt keynotes on Tuesday

See you all there!

Just a heads up that this week is Ubuntu Open Week!

Ubuntu Open Week is a series of online workshops where you can:

• Learn about the Ubuntu landscape
• Talk to some of the key developers from the Ubuntu project
• Find out about the Community and its relationship with Canonical
• Participate in an open Q&A with Mark Shuttleworth, the founder of Ubuntu. (*)

I’ll be running two sessions for everyone wanting to learn more about either translating Ubuntu or writing apps for Ubuntu (or both!):

• WHERE: #ubuntu-classroom IRC channel on the Freenode network
• WHAT, WHEN:
• 14:00 UTC How to contribute translating Ubuntu – learn how to translate Ubuntu in your language
• 16:00 UTC Writing your first Ubuntu app – a very gentle introduction to writing a simple “Ubuntu rocks!” app, and explaining its lifecycle from creation to publication, with tips along the way.

(*) Mark is on vacation this week, but we’ll schedule a separate IRC session with him, stay tuned!

I’m thrilled to announce the launch of a significant milestone in the ongoing effort of making Ubuntu a target for app developers: the new Ubuntu App Developer site.

Developer.ubuntu.com should now be the central point of reference for any topics related to application development. From creation to publication: porting, sharing, contributing, finding information… a site that should grow organically to provide the tools, share the knowledge and act as the springboard to foster app proliferation and developer community growth in this exciting area.

Embracing the concept that for sustainable business development and wider adoption Ubuntu should provide the ability to purchase apps as well as to install open source software for free, the site has been developed with that exact idea in mind. In that regard, developer.ubuntu.com has been built upon the foundations of existing tools such as the Ubuntu Software Centre and My Apps to offer a unified and consistent journey for both open-source, non-commercial and commercial app authors.

A quick walk through the App Developer site

All sections of the site have been carefully designed upon research and user testing to provide a simple yet intuitive journey to app developers, from software creation to publication and distribution in the Ubuntu Software Centre. Here’s a quick guide:

• Get started – an introduction to the recommended tools and the workflow for Ubuntu app development, including a video to kickstart new developers in less than five minutes.
• Resources – a growing directory of resources to support app development in Ubuntu: reference documentation, guides, tutorials and more.
• Publish – a simple guide to app publication in the Ubuntu Software Centre, including an extensive FAQ on how to publish commercial applications.
• Community – the place to get involved, share and actively participate within a network of like-minded developers, including the app developer blog.
• My Apps – an online tool to enable app developers go straight from a finished app to the Software Centre, making publication a seamless process.

Big thanks

In this project I’ve had the privilege of working with the Web Design team, who essentially made the site happen. It’s been a fun ride, and they’ve produced a truly stunning result in a very tight schedule. To them, and to many Canonicalers and other members of the Ubuntu family go the thanks for making developer.ubuntu.com possible.

Next steps

This is just the beginning. For all its current awesomeness, we are aware that the site needs to pass the test of a wider audience, adapt to their needs, and grow. Expect more developer.ubuntu.com discussions at the next Ubuntu Developer Summit in Orlando, Florida, where any community member can participate and contribute to the discussion of the future plans for the site.

In the meantime, there are two easy ways in which you can already start participating:

• Tutorials – we’re in need of more tutorial content, and you can help other developers by having your tutorial featured on developer.ubuntu.com
• Bugs – help us test and improve the site by reporting any bugs that you might find

This is a very exciting and new territory for Ubuntu, and I’m thrilled to see all the progress we’re making in this area. This is going to be awesome.

Kicking Off Ubuntu App Developer Week

The Ubuntu App Developer Week is starting today, so get ready for an awesome week full of exciting sessions and great speakers around the topic of application development in Ubuntu.

Here’s a taster of what’s in store today:

16:00 UTC  – Making Ubuntu a Target for App Developers

Jono Lange will open the week explaining the strategy for app development in Ubuntu, telling us more about the latest developments and what we’re going to see in the next future. Make sure you’ve got all your questions lined up, as it will be a really interesting subject and Jono will be more than happy to answer them!

17:00 UTC – Introducing Bazaar Explorer: Version Control for your Apps

Bazaar is a tool to track history of your code revisions and make it easy to distributed teams to collaborate developing code. But it’s not all about the command line. Jonathan Riddell will show you how to use the graphical tools to help you being more productive with Bazaar.

18:00 UTC – Your App & Launchpad best practices

If you’re using Launchpad, the suite of collaborative online tools to manage your project (and you should ) Jason DeRose will go through the best practices and all the tips and tricks to make sure you make the most of it for your project.

19:00 UTC – Getting Started With Python: a Hello World App

Do you want to write your first lines of code in Python and need some help? Then no worries, Alan Bell will be here to guide you through the easy journey of writing a simple “Hello world” application in this cool and powerful programming language.

Joining The Week

Getting involved is simple. You can connect using any IRC client or your browser. Simply go to:

• irc.freenode.net
• #ubuntu-classroom for the main session and #ubuntu-classroom-chat for the chatroom.

Ubuntu App Developer Week

I’m thrilled to announce the next edition of Ubuntu AppDeveloperWeek, from the 5th to 9th September 2011 at #ubuntu-classroom on IRC.

Ubuntu App Developer Week is a week of sessions aimed at enabling and inspiring developers to write applications that scratch their itches. Our goal is to give all attendees a taste of the wide variety of tools on the Ubuntu platform that can be used to create awesome applications, and to showcase some applications that have been created and explain how they were put together.

The Sessions

The whole week is packed with interesting subjects, aimed both at new and experienced developers. During the sessions you’ll get a solid overview on a broad range of the Free Software technologies that will enable you to create your applications in Ubuntu. At the same time, you’ll be able to chat and ask your questions directly to the true rockstars on those subjects.

Here are some of the highlights:

• The Ubuntu App Developer strategy
• Integrating applications with Ubuntu tech: Unity, AppIndicators, Ubuntu One…
• Enabling multitouch support in GTK applications
• Publishing your apps in the Ubuntu Software Center
• Getting started writing your first app with Python
• Rapid Application Development with Quickly
• Using the Bazaar revision control to track source code history
• Using Launchpad integration features to develop applications
• … Bazaar Explorer, Universal GRUB Recovery, Unity Lenses, Unity 2D, Gedit Developer Plugins, the App Review Board, developer.ubuntu.com, Unity Mail, Launchpad Daily Builds, Vala, GooCanvas and PyGame, Python Libraries for Desktop Integration, Internationalization… you name it. Learn more about the hottest topics and how to use the coolest technologies to write your applications, straight from the best experts in the Free Software world.
• Check out the complete schedule.

Joining The Week

Getting involved is simple. You can connect using any IRC client or your browser. Simply go to:

• irc.freenode.net
• #ubuntu-classroom for the main session and #ubuntu-classroom-chat for the chatroom.

Looking forward to seeing you all at App Developer Week!

Making Ubuntu a Choice for App Developers

We want to put Ubuntu on the app development map. We want to provide a top level experience through a platform that makes it easy for developers to create applications and distribute them to millions.

The Ubuntu Software Centre provided a solid foundation and a springboard to the proliferation of an ecosystem of resources and projects aligned to deliver this vision. Matthew Paul Thomas and Evan Dandrea already layed out the path at the Ubuntu Developer Summit in Orlando in 2010, and we’re seeing more and more news related to the work we’re doing while making this happen:

• Jono Lange moving from Launchpad to Developer Program Specialist. I’m particularly excited about this one, and looking forward to seeing Jono bring the same level of awesomeness delivered by Launchpad applied to making Ubuntu a rocking platform for app developers.
  
• The MyApps Portal being released. On this one I’d like to share an inspiring piece of feedback from Kiaran Ritchie at Big Fat Alien, the makers of BEEP, a game recently published in the Ubuntu Software Center:

Having gone through the process of distributing our game on the SC, I must say that Canonical has created a fantastic digital distribution toolset. BEEP was pushed through their web-based deployment toolset with no fuss at all. Deploying paid software in Ubuntu is now a no-brainer.

Next is developer.ubuntu.com, a place to present developers a clear journey that will guide them through the process of creating and publishing applications for Ubuntu. Along the way, they will find all the resources that will enable them to make the right design decisions and direct them to the information they need in a consistent manner. The site will also be the starting poing for building an app developer community.

You Can Help: Participate in The Ubuntu App Developer Survey

We’re at a point in the design of developer.ubuntu.com where we’d like to have some feedback to help us make and validate some of the decisions to provide the best user experience for developers. For this, we’ve prepared a short survey to get some input in the key areas we’re interested in.

So if you are intending to develop apps in the future, here’s your chance to contribute to making Ubuntu thrive in the world of apps: we’d really value your feedback by taking part in the Ubuntu App Developer Survey.

We would appreciate if you could complete the survey by Friday, 19th August 2011. Remember that this survey is not only aimed at existing or new Ubuntu developers, but also at people coming from other platforms, so it would be really helpful if you could share this link with anyone you know who might be developing in those other platforms.

Also feel free to get in touch if you’ve got any questions. Thanks!

This cycle I’m spending some of my time on a project outside the translations world: working with the awesome Web Design Team on a portal to attract and make it easy for developers to create and publish lightweight applications for Ubuntu.

As part of this work, we’ll be doing some user research on the 10th and 11th of  August at the Canonical office in London, and we are looking for app developers to interview there.

If you think you meet the following criteria or if you know of anyone who does, we’d like to hear from you! We’re looking for someone who:

• Must not be employed as an app developer, but may be employed in a technical role.
• Develops at night or on weekends – hobbyist, not professional
• Must be interested in developing apps.
• The platform does not matter.
• Must be familiar with the concept of open source development.

Other details:

• The participants will receive a cash incentive of £60 on the day of the session.
• Travel expenses will not be covered
• The research is to help validate our initial concept for one our current projects – developer.ubuntu.com.

If you know of anyone, please get in touch directly with Ellen Arnold, who coordinates the recruitment of testers for this project.

Thanks a lot!